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IINB 


REPORT 


OF  THE 


COMMISSIONER  OF  MIGRATION 


FOR 


:OLF  AX -COUNTY 


HV 


HARRY   WHIGHAM. 


BY  flOTflORITY  OF  TflE  TERRITORIAL  BUREAU. 


SANTA  FE,  N.  M. 

-'HITHWESTERV  PRINT. 
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REPORT 


OF  THE 


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FOR 


COLFAX  COUNTY 


HY 


HARRY  WHIGHAM 
" 


By  Authority  of  the  Tenit&rial  Bureau. 


SANTA  FE,  N.  M: 

PRINTED  AT  THE  DEMOCRAT  OFFICE. 
l88o. 


X 

Hf 


B 


REPORT 

OF  THE 

COMMISSIONER  OF  COLFAX  COUNTY. 


COLFAX  COUNTY,  N.  M.,  July  27,   1880. 
R.  W.  WEBB,  ESQ.,  Sec'y  Bureau  of  Immigration  : 

DEAR  SIR — In  reply  to  your  request  of  May  1st,  I  beg  to 
say  that  knowledge  has  been  carefully  sought  on  the  re- 
sources and  present  development  of  Colfax  County,  and  for  the 
information  and  use  of  your  Bureau  I  submit  the  following 
report : 

Colfax  County  is  situated  in  the  northeastern  corner  of  New 
Mexico,  has  an  area  of'some  4, 500,000 acres,  and  a  population, 
according  to  the  census  of  1880,  of  3,341  ;  about  half  of  these  I 
are  native  Mexicans.  It  is  formed  half  of  prairie,  lying  in  the 
south  and  eastern  portion,  and  half  of  mountain  and  high  mesa, 
or  table  land  in  the  remainder.  The  altitude  varies  from  5,500 
on  the  prairies  to  an  average  of  8,000  through  the  mountain 
parks.  Some  of  the  highest  peaks  on  the  western  border  are 
14,000  feet  and  over.  The  prairie  portion  of  the  county  is 
used  principally  as  a  pasture  for  large  herds  of  cattle,  sheep 
and  horses,  the  valleys  along  the  water  courses  being  farmed 
to  a  considerable  extent,  by  means  of  irrigation.  In  the 
mountains  there  are  numerous  herds  also,  and  some  of  the  best 
farming  lands  are  to  be  found  in  the  many  parks  there.  The 
mountains  are  covered  with  the  various  species  of  pine,  and  the 
pinon  and  cedar  indigenous  to  the  country.  The  former  is  of 
an  excellent  quality  for  lumber  and  covers  an  area  of  some 
700,000  acres.  The  current  price  of  good  merchantable  lum- 
ber is  $25  per  thousand  feet.  Some  oak  is  found,  but  of  an  in- 
ferior character  and  of  little  value  for  commercial  purposes. 
The  greatest  wealth  of  the  mountains,  however,  is  in  the  vast 


4  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  COLFAX  COUNTY. 

area  of  the  coal  beds  and  in  the  base  and  precious  metals, 
which  will  be  referred  to  hereafter.  There  is  but  little  timber 
on  the  prairies,  and  it  is  found  along  the  streams  and  in  the 
canons  which  break  through  the  prairie  in  many  places,  also, 
on  the  side  of  the  table  lands  which  dot  the  plains.  Of  this 
timber  there  is  very  little  suitable  for  lumber,  it  is  principally 
cottonwood,  box-elder,  locust,  pinon  and  cedar.  While  on  the 
subject  of  trees  it  may  be  said  that  cottonwoods  of  two  or  three 
years  growth  are  transplanted  with  success,  and  that  several 
thousand  young  catalpas  planted  in  Cimarron  this  year  are 
growing  finely. 

The  principal  industry  of  the  county  at  present  is  raising  cat- 
tle and  sheep.  The  grazing  lands  of  Colfax  County  are 
justly  celebrated  and  are  unrivaled  in  any  section  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  No  business  has  proved  a  more  lucrative 
one  here  than  stock  raising.  There  are  in  Colfax  County  at 
present,  it  is  estimated,  75,000  head  of  cattle,  2000,00  head  of 
sheep,  and  7,000  head  of  hores  and  brood  mares.  The  follow- 
ing table  will  not  be  out  of  place,  as  not  only  giving  an  esti- 
mate of  the  profits  in  the  cattle  business  here — and  it  is  in- 
dorsed by  cattle  men  hereabouts  as  a  fair  exhibit — but  will  also 
give  current  prices  of  common  stock,  with  which  it  starts,  and 
the  price  of  the  improved  also.  » 

Let  us  say  the  stockraiser  makes  a  purchase  in  September  of 
a  herd  composed  of  the  following  grade  and  class  : 

CAPITAL  INVESTED  IN  STOCK. 

150  Voung  Cows  and  Calves  at  $25 $2,250  oo 

100  Two-year-old  Heifers  at  $12 1,200  oo 

100  Two-year-old  Steers  at  $12 1.200  oo 

75  Yearling  Heifers  at  $7 525  oo 

75  Yearling  Steers  at  $7 525  oo 

10  High  Grade  Bulls  at  $7  5 750  oo 

$6,450  oo 
CAPITAL  INVESTED  IN  RANCH,  ETC. 

Ranch,  Corrals,  etc $230  oo 

Horses  and  Equipments 250  oo 

$500  oo 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  COLFAX  COUNTY.             § 

SUMMARY  ACCOUNT  FOR  FIVE  YEARS. 

End  of  Year. 

>N%  ofi     Value. 
Mock. 

Sales  —  3-year-old 
Steers. 

Expenses. 

Bnk  Acct. 

First 

.  .  !         53O$    7,I4O  OQ 

iooat$i8  oo  $i,  800 
75  at     18  09     1,350 
60  at     18  oo     i,  080 
looat    22  50     2,250 
130  at    22  50     2,925 

$  680  oo 
750  oo 
850  oo 
1,100  oo 
1,500  oo 

$I,I2O  OO 

600  oo 
230  oo 
1,150  oo 
1,425  oo 

Second    

OC<|       8,461;    OO 

Third       

..!         855      II,2OO  OO 

1063    14,620  oo 

Fourth 

Fifth                      .     .  . 

1321    18,477  5° 

Total  

$4,525  oo 

4 

518,477  50 
1,000  oo 

4,525  oo 

Value  of  Ranch,  Ho 

rses,  etc  

j 

324,002  50 
$6,950  oo 
317,052  oo 

e  of  the 

Profit  in  Five  Yean  . 
in  the  above 

4 

table  we  have  added  $500  to  the    valu 

estimate  of  the  money  charged  to  "expenses"  which  went  for 
the  purchase  of  additional  horses.  The  increase  of  cattle  has 
been  reckoned  at  85  per  cent.,  allowing  5  per  cent,  of  loss  from 
natural  causes  in  young  stock.  The  improvement  in  the  stock 
bred  from  line  bulls  has  been  reckoned  at  25  per  cent. 

While  the  cattle  business  is  generally  regarded  as  attended 
win],  l<  ss  risk  and  more  certain  in  its  results,  many  claim  for 
sheep  raising  a  larger  profit.  Uur  observation— from  fourteen 
years  residence  in  New  Mexico  and  Colorado —  is,  that  where 
it:  is  desired  to  invest  a  large  capital  without  giving  a  close 
personal  attention  to  the  business,  cattle  would  be  preferable, 
but  where  a  man  desires  to  invest  a  small  or  moderate  capital 
in  either  business  and  give  it  his  whole  time,  more  money  and 
quicker  returns  would  be  made  by  purchasing  sheep.  The 
aim u :  olip  is  a  timely,  certain  and  good  income  to  those 

wh -.>  wish  to  invest  the  larger  part  of  their  capital  at  once. 

The  present  prices  of  sheep  and  wool  are  as  follows  : 

M  exican    Ewes,   young $1    50 

0  .-m  M  exlcan  Wethe  rs r  25 

:  Merino  Ewer-,  young $2  oo   to  3  oo 

:  Wethers 2  oo  to   3  oo 

It  is  difficult   to    give    quotations  of  wool  as  they    are  con- 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  COLFAX  COUNTY. 


stantly  varying  ;  prices  this  year,  however,  have  been  from  15 
cents  per  pound  for  the  lowest  grade  of  Mexican,  to  ^4  cents 
for  the  choicest  improved,  unwashed.  The  wool  clip  varies 
from  2  to  6  pounds  on  flocks  of  ewes  and  wethers.  The  gen- 
eral average  in  this  county  on  all  flocks  would  be  3  1-2  pounds. 
The  net  increase  of  sheep  is  80  per  cent. 

The  price  of  horses,  broke  to  saddle  or  harness,  varies  from 
$40  for  the  ordinary  stock-pony  to  $150  for  a  good  carriage 
horse. 

The  amount  of  land  susceptible  of  cultivation  it  would  be 
difficult  to  accurately  say  ;  of  that  which  can  be  irrigated  by 
the  natural  water  courses  we  estimate  there  is  approximately 
one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  acres ;  there  is  not  to  exceed 
ten  thousand  acres  under  cultivation  at  present.  The  average 
yield  of  corn  in  this  county  has  not  exceeded  30  bushels  to  the 
acre,  although  we  know  of  farmers  who  have  raised  large  fields 
averaging  45  bushels.  For  oats  there  is  no  better  country  ; 
the  government  standard  for  a  bushel  of  oats  is  32  pounds, 
but  here  the  oats  are  so  heavy  that  a  bushel  weighs  42  pounds, 
and  the  amount  grown  to  the  acre  will  easily  average  45 
bushels.  This  grain  will  grow  either  on  the  prairie  or  in  the 
mountains,  but  on  the  prairie,  near  the  foothills,  and  in  the 
mountain  valleys  nearest  the  prairie,  it  does  the  best.  Wheat 
does  well  both  on  *he  prairie  and  in  the  mountains.  Thirty 
bushels  of  wheat  through  the  mountains  is  an  aver;i^  crop, 
although  we  know  of  individual  farmers  whose  crops  have 
greatly  exceeded  this  amount.  The  wheat  is  unsurpassed  in 
quality.  The  cultivation  of  bald  barley  has  been  neglected  to 
a  great  extent,  while  it  is  one  of  the  most  profitable  crops  that 
can  be  raised  here.  The  soil  throughout  both  prairie  and 
mountains  is  unusually  deep  and  capable  of  producing  immense 
crops.  In  the  western  half  of  the  county  we  count  the  f<V 
ing  streams,  the  valleys  of  which  afford  the  most  natural  farm- 
ing lands  :  The  Sweetwater,  with  a  farming  valley  20  miles  long ; 
the  Rayado,  length  of  farming  valley  20  miles  ;  the  Cimarron- 
cito  farming  valley  is  12  miles  ;  the  firming  valley  of  the  Cinicir. 
ron  is  32  miles  long  and  in  place*  is  2  miles  wide;  the  Ponil 
farming  valley  is  25  miles  long;  the  farming  valley  of  the  Ver- 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  COLFAX  COUNTY. 

mejo  is  a  very  beautiful  one  and  is  40  miles  long;  the  entire 
length  of  the  Red  river  through  the  county  exceeds  75  miles, 
the  length  of  its  valley  on  the  prairie  is  some  fifty  miles,  but  its 
volume  of  water  is  not  proportionate.  The  valleys  of  the  Una 
de  Gato  and  Chicarica  are  very  beautiful  and  each  is  about  15 
miles  long.  All  of  these  streams  usually  have  plenty  of  water 
and  the  soil  is  as  rich  and  mellow  as  can  be  found.  In  the 
eastern  part  of  the  country  there  is  also  considerable  farming 
lands,  but  not  nearly  so  much  as  in  the  western  half.  In  the 
mountains,  there  is  in  the  Merino  Valley,  Ute  Valley,  Valle 
de  Piedra,  and  Ponil  and  Vermejo  parks,  much  fine  farming 
land,  in  which  the  best  wheat,  potatoes,  beets,  cabbage,  car- 
rots, parsnips,  turnips,  artichokes,  etc.,  are  grown.  Indeed,  for 
the  vegetables  mentioned,  the  climate  and  soil  of  the  mountains 
are  preferable.  In  the  production  of  many  vegetables  this 
country  excells,  especially  in  onions,  beets  and  cabbage.  We 
have  seen  onions  grown  here  which  were  seven  inches  in  diam- 
eter and  weighed  four  pounds  each,  and  the  delicacy  of  their 
flavor  gives  them  peculiar  excellence.  We  have  not  heard 
just  how  many  have  been  grown  on  an  acre  of  ground,  but  2OO 
bushel  is  not  an  unlikely  figure,  Irish  potatoes  grow  remark- 
ably well  throughout  the  mountains,  400  bushels  to  the  \icre 
have  been  frequently  raised,  and  200  bushels  is  an  average  crop 
these  potatoes  are  very  fine,  and  the  amount  of  potato  land  is 
practically  unlimited.  We  have  seen  a  cabbage  grown  in 
Cimarron  which  weighed  37  1-2  pounds.  A  pumpkin  grown 
on  the  Vermejo  which  weighed  80  pounds 

Of  fruit  growing  in  Colfax  County  very  little  may  be  saTtfre^c- 
cept  as  to  the  wonderful  adaptability  of  both  climate  and  soil, 
and  the  strange  neglect  of  the  important  industry  in  the  past. 
With  the  exception  of  five  or  six  of  this  wealthiest  ranchmen 
in  the  county,  no  one  has  yet.  planted  fruit  trees.  Every  spare 
dollar  has  been  invested  in  cattle  or  sheep,  and  fruit  trees  ap- 
parently deemed  a  luxury,  the  purchase  of  which  must  be  post- 
poned. Yet  those  who  have  planted  them  have  been  entirely 
successful.  Wild  plums,  cherries,  strawberries,  currants  and 
gooseberries  grow  here,  and  the  former  is  a  most  luscious 
fruit,  rind  a  certain  5icrop.  Apples,  cherries,  plums,  peaches, 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  COLFAX  COUNTY. 


strawberries,  pears,  currants,  gooseberries,  raspberries,  black- 
berries and  grapes  have  been  tried  here  with  success.  We 
need  a  number  of  good  gardeners,  who  could  command  excel- 
lent situations  at  once,  and  some  enterprising  nurserymen,  who 
could  stimulate  the  planting  of  trees  and  establish  a  good 
business  for  themselves.  There  is  no  industry  here  which  has 
been  so  badly  neglected  and  which  affords  a  better  field  for  the 
immigrant  who  understands  this  business  than  market-garden- 
ing and  fruit-culture. 

Of  the  mineral  productions  of  this  county  we  have  gold,  sil- 
ver, copper,  lead,  iron,  manganese,  plumbago,  fire-clay  and 
coal.  The  gold  mines  are  situated  in  the  Moreno  Valley,  in 
the  valley  and  at  the  head  of  Ute  Creek,  on  the  Ponil  and  on  the 
Cirnarroncito.  The  most  important  mines  in  the  Moreno 
are  placers.  These  were  discovered  in  1868,  and  h'-.ve  been 
worked  continously  ever  since.  This  district  includes  many 
rich  gulches,  of  which  the  following  are  the  most  important : 
Willow,  Humbug,  Grouse,  Michigan  and  Big  Nigger.  Tlu  :-c 
have  all  been  worked  by  hydraulics  with  great  success.  There 
is  on  the  bars  between  the  gulches  and  in  the  valley  of  the  Mo- 
reno a  vast  area  of  land  which  has  n-..t  yet  been  worked,  al!  of 
which  prospects  fully  50  cents  to  the  cubic  yard.  Numerous 
lode's  ot  gold  quartz'have  been  discovered  in  this  district,  but 
few  developed  to  any  great  extent.  The  water  for  working  the 
placers  is  brought  principally  by  a  large  ditch  from  the  head 
of  a  neighboring  stream  in  the  Sierra  Madres.  On  Ute 
Creek  there  are  also  rich  placers  which  have  been  worked 
since  1869.  But  the  principal  mints  in  the  Ute  Creek  district 
—which  is  divided  from  the  Moreno  by  the  Balcly  range  'of 
mountains— are  the  quartz  lodes.  Chief  of  these  is  the  Aztec, 
which  was  discovered  in  1869,  and  worked  the  following  year 
with  a  yield  of  some  six  or  seven  hundred  thousand  dollars .'  It 
is  a  good  vein  of  free  milling  ore.  There  are  a  number  of  other 
lodes  which  have  been  worked  for  years  past,  and  some  recent 
discoveries  which  promise  well.  Principal  among  the  latter 
are  the  Rebel  Chief,  Mountain  Queen,  and  discoveries  at  the 
head  of  the  Ponil  and  on  the  Cirnarroncito.  The  two  former 
are  gold  quartz.  On  Ponil  the  ores  run  50  per  cent,  in  COp- 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  COLFAX  COUNTY. 


per  and  high  in  silver  and  gold  ;  they  are  veins  about  three  feet 
thick  and  are  regarded  as  important  discoveries.  On  the  Cim- 
arroncjto  a  number  of  gold  lodes  have  been  discovered,  and  it 
seems  more  than  likely  that  this  may  prove  an  important  dis- 
trict. There  is  a  I5~stamp  mill  at  the  head  of  the  Ponil  owned 
by  the  New  Mexico  and  Rhode  Island  Mining  Company.  The 
aggregate  yield  of  gold  in  this  county  since  the  discovery  in 
[868  is  variously  estimated  between  two  and  three  million  dol- 
lars. Mining  here  is  regarded  as  but  in  its  infancv,  and  there 
is  every  confidence  that  the  future  annual  yield  will  greatly  ex- 
ceed the  past. 

In  the  vast  area  of  its  coal  beds,  however,  we  think  Colfax 
County  will  in  the  future  find  its  greatest  commercial  import- 
ance. There  is  in  Colfax  County  some  six  hundred  thousand 
acres  of  coal  land,  which,  for  all  commercial  purposes,  com- 
pares well  with  the  best  soft  coal  of  Pennsylvania.  The  follow- 
ing analysis  of  the  coal  was  made  from  specimens  taken  near 
,  :-  surface,  by  Frank  E.  Nipher,  Professor  of  Physics  and 
niistry  in  the  Washington  University,  of  St.  Louis  1 


L.s.    av. 

po 

p~er 

Me 

'.  'u!i.    Ft. 

"84-0 

m. 

1.388 

8-5-4 

86.7 

2.6 


10.4 

15.6 


Color 

of  Ash 

Coke. 

Total 
Volatile. 

Brown 
Pink. 
White 

60.9 
61.9 
63-1 

38.1 
36.9 

Average,  j          1.367 


;.36       i         2-57 J _l I- 76.  [_  1    61.96  )       38.03 


The    coking  coal    of  Trinidad,  Colorado,  has  68  per  cent,  of 

•  as  it  is  in  the  same  geological  formation  as  ours,  there 

ut  this  coal  averages  about   the   same  where   it  is 

from    atmospheric    influence.        A    little  coal   of   a  semi- 

•acite     nature     has     been     found,     but.    the    formation     is 

[y     a  I!     bituminous.        On     thr     surface     the    veins    vary 

in  \\-idth  from  one  to  seven  feet.      Before  the  advent  of  the  rail- 

no  nresent  value  could  be  <^iven  to  this   mineral,  and  even 

no\v  it   is  not    mined  to  any  extent    worth  mentioning,  but  it  is 

within  our  knowledge  that  the  railroad  people  and  the  owners 

of  the  coal  are  making  preparations  to  develop  this  industry  on 

a    proper    basis.     The    value   and   importance  of  this  immense 

supply  of  fuel  is  in  the  fact  that  while  numerous  and  extensive 


)0  REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  COLFAX  COUNTY. 

mines  of  smelting  ores  have  already  been  found  in  the  southern 
part    of  the  Territory  and  in  Arizona,  fuel   of   all  kinds  is  ex- 
tremely scarce  there,  and  no  available  coal  exists.     As  soon  as 
the   Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe   Railroad  and  its  extensions 
unite  us    with  the   Pacific,  the  coke  of  this  county  may  find  a 
demand  even    in  California.     In  connection  with  the  large  de- 
posits of  iron  ore  found  here  our  coal  may  also  prove  of  great 
use.     There  is,    on  the  eastern  slope  of  the   Moreno  Valley,  a 
mountain  of  iron  ore  pronounced  by  experts  to  be  of  first-class 
quality   for   smelting.      In  the   mountains   at  the  head  of   the 
Cimarroncito  it  is  found  of  superior  quality  and  practically  un- 
limited  in    quantity.        In    the    neighborhood    of   Raton — the 
first  station  of  the  A.,  T.  &  S.  F.  south  of  the  Raton  Mountains 
— a    lower    grade  of   iron  ore    is  found  in  connection  with  the 
coal  beds.     On    the  Vermejo  this  low  grade  ore  is  also  found. 
Nodular  ore    is  found  here  always  in  connection  with  the  coal 
strata.       It  might  be  well  to  note,  that  as   manganese  is  found 
in  the  county  in  large  quantities,  the  manufacture  of  Bessemer 
steel    could   be    carried    on    here    to  advantage.         With    the 
repairs  and  extensions  of  the  A.,  T.  &  S.  F.,  D.  &  R.  G.  and  At- 
lantic and  Pacific  Railroads,  now  building  in  this  Territory,  and 
the    prospective    construction    of   other  roads,    we    can  hardly 
doubt  it  would  find  a  ready  and  profitable  market.    Many  other 
manufactories  might  be  established  here  with  profit,  more  par- 
ticularly smelting  works   and   woolen    mills.     We   have  shown 
that  this  county  alone    annually    produces    700,000   pounds  of 
wool,  and  all  the  wool  grown  in  the  Territory  passes  through  it 
on  its  way  to  the  mills  of  Missouri,   Illinois    and    other  Eastern 
States.     We  receive  a  good  part  of  it  again  in  the  shape  of  blank- 
ets, carpets  and  clothing.     We  believe  there  is  not  a  woolen  mill 
in  operation   in  the  Territory.     The  manufacture  of  beet  sugar 
might  be  conducted   here   to   a   profit ;  these  vegetables  seem 
particularly  adapted  to  this  soil   and   climate,  and   grow  to  an 
enormous  size,  20  and  25  pounds  not  being  an  unusual  weight. 

Of  towns  or  villages  in  the  county  we  name  the  following: 

Cimarron,  the  county  seat. 

Elizabethtown,  a  mining  town  in  the  Moreno  Valley,  28  miles 
distant  from  Cimarron. 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  COLFAX  COUNTY.  JJ 


Springer,  a  new  town  on  the  A.,  T.  and  S.  F.  R.  R.,  21 
miles  distant  from  Cimarron,  and  the  shipping  point  for  Cim- 
arron,  the  mines,  Taos,  the  eastern  part  of  the  county  and  the 
Panhandle  of  Texas. 

Otero  and  Raton,  both  small  villages  on  the  line  of  the  A.,  T. 
&S.  F. 

Cimarron  is  a  small  place,  but  beautifully  located  at  the  base 
of  the  mountains,  and  is  at  an  altitude  of  6,310  feet.  The  res- 
idents are  principally  Americans,  the  buildings  are  of  adobe, 
plastered  with  lime  mortar  and  present  a  neat  and  substantial 
appearance.  It  has  a  good  church  building,  and  a  public 
school  about  half  the  year. 

Taxes  are  generally  one  per  cent.,  sometimes  one  and  one- 
fourth — this  includes  territorial,  county  and  school  tax. 

The  ordinary  wages  of  laborers  in  this  county  are  $20  per 
month  and  board,  or  $1.25  per  day,  without  board.  Mechanics 
receive  from  $2.50  for  carpenters  to  $3.25  for  plasterers  and 
masons.  Adobes,  9x18x4  are  laid  in  the  wall  for  $22  per 
thousand. 

There  are  in  the  county  23  authorized  school  districts  and, 
on  an  average,  in  sixteen  of  them,  public,  non-sectarian  schools 
are  conducted  for  about  half  the  year. 

The  altitude  of  Elizabethtown  is  8,600,  of  Otero,  6,450,  Ra- 
ton Pass,  7,600,  Taos  Pass,  9.000,  Springer  is  about  5,500  and 
Baldy  Mountain  is  12,200  feet. 

There  is  a  charm  in  the  climate  of  Colfax  County  which  none 
better  appreciate  than  those  who  having  once  lived  here,  seek 
to  make  their  abode  in  the  States.  The  dryness  and  purity  of 
the  atmosphere  creates  a  perfect  physical  life  arid  produces  a 
wonderful  feeling  of  txhiieration.  With  all  the  advantages  of 
dryness  of  atmosphere  and  of  altitude,  this  county,  lying  direct- 
ly south  of  Colorado — 4  degrees  south  of  Denver — possesses  a 
much  milder  climate  through  the  winter  months  than  that  state  ; 
and  the  Raton  Mountains  rind  high  mesas  adjoining,  extending 
the  whole  length  of  the  county  along  the  northern  boundary, 
afford  excellent  protection  from  the  winds  of  the  north.  Our 
average  temperature  during  the  summer  months  would  not  ex- 
ceed 82  degrees,  at  noon,  in  the  shade,  and  the  winters  are 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  COLFAX  COUNTY. 


mild  and  dry.     For  persons  who  are  afflicted   with  pulmonary 
disease  a  more  desirable  climate  cannot  be  found. 

We  have  no  means  of  knowing  what  the  rainfall  may  be,  but 
in  ordinary  seasons  we  have  heavy  showers  in  May,  with  the 
regular  rainy  season  in  July  and  August,  and  occasional  rains 
in  September  and  October.  The  rainfall,  however,  is  light  and 
for  farming  the  people  depend  entirely  upon  irrigation.  I  have 
no  doubt  but  in  the  near  future  the  sinking  of  wells  and  use  of 
wind  mills  on  the  prairie  portion  of  the  county  will  become  a 
common  custom  among  stockmen,  who  will  by  such  means 
have  a  better  use  of  their  range. 

The  western  portion  of  the  county  is  covered  by  a  Mexican 
Grant  and  is  at  the  present  time  owned  by  the  Maxwell  Land 
Grant  Company,  whose  offices  are  at  Cimarron,  This  grant 
was  given  in  1841  by  the  Government  of  old  Mexico  to  BCP.U- 
bien  and  Miranda,  citizens  of  that  Republic.  In  1860  it  WHS  con- 
firmed by  Congress,  in  conformity  with  the  treaty  of  Guada- 
lupe  Hidalgo,  and  patented  by  the  United  States  Government 
in  May,  1879.  It  comprises  1,400,000  acres  in  the  county  and 
includes  the  mines  and  the  soil,  with  the  exception  of  that  por- 
tion of  it  which  the  owners  have  sold  from  time  to  time.  Pros- 
pectors can  obtain  from  the  grant  owners,  however,  a  half  in- 
terest in  the  vein  of  any  precious  metal  they  may  discover.  By 
reason  of  this  grant  we  cannot  give  the  price  of  land  in  that 
part  of  the  county.  The  unoccupied  lands  in  the  eastern  part 
of  the  county  belong  to  the  government  and  can  be  preempted 
at  $1.15  per  acre,  or  entered  as  a  homestead. 

In  conclusion  we  may  say  that  nature  has    been   most  boun- 
teous toward  this  county,  but  the  hand  of  man  h.is  as  yet  d 
comparatively  little.      Not  in  Switzerland,  nor  the  n\  ten 

resorts  of  the  old  or  new  world  can  scenery  more  beautiful  be 
found  than  in  the  parks  which  nestle  at  the  base  of  our  ioftv 
peaks.  Clothed  with  a  rich  herbage  of  grama  grass,  which  is 
nutritious  all  the  year  round,  and  watered  by  brooks  and  streams 
which  sparkle  over  their  gravelly  bed,  and  in  each  of  which 
countless  speckled  trout  find  a  home,  these  parks  arc  a  pa  ra'd 
for  pleasure  seekers.  The  area  of  the  parks  in  the  aggregate 
exceeds  one  hundred  thousand  acres.  To  hunters  thev  afford 


REPORT  OF  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  COLFAX  COUNTY. 

a  fine  field  for  sport.  Deer,  bears,  turkeys  and  grouse  are 
found  in  abundance,  with  a  few  elk,  mountain  sheep  and  moun- 
tain lions  or  cougars.  And  while  these  parks  charm  by  theii- 
soft  lines  and  beauty,  their  neighbors,  the  mighty  peaks  of  the 
Sierra  Madre,  must  inspire  awe  in  all  who  behold  them.  Grand 
mountains  of  perpetual  snow  in  many  of  whose  gorges  the  foot 
of  man  has  never  trod  are  here,  holding  in  their  massive  sides 
rich  treasures  of  gold,  silver  and  copper  for  the  benefit  of  the 
adventurous  and  lucky  finder. 

There  is  no  land  to  be  found  where  a  healthier  or  more 
beautiful  home  may  be  .made  than  in  the  mountain  parks  of 
Colax  County. 

Respectfully  yours,  HARRY  WHIGHAM. 

Commissioner  for  Colfax  County. 


I      c.      Makers 
otocJcton,  Calif 

m  21.  1908    ' 


